‘A devastating loss’ in the Valley: Helicopter crash killed pair of Boise-area pilots

This story was first published Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014. It is republished here in connection with the Feb. 2, 2021 helicopter crash that killed three Idaho Army National Guard members near Lucky Peak.

Two western Ada County neighborhoods, the Idaho National Guard and officials throughout the state were rocked by the deaths of two Guard pilots whose helicopter went down south of Gowen Field on Thursday night.

Stien P. Gearhart, 50, of Meridian and Jon L. Hartway, 43, of Kuna, both chief warrant officers with the Idaho Army National Guard, crashed during a night training mission. No information was available Friday about the details of that mission or what led to the accident.

U.S. flags went up Friday throughout a small subdivision off Victory Road where Gearhart lived with his wife, Vickie. It’s a close-knit neighborhood, and residents are rallying around the family and their wish for privacy in a time of shocking loss.

“He’s a wonderful man,” said longtime neighbor Kim Hollingsworth, who lives around the corner from the Gearharts.

Members of the area’s neighborhood association decided among themselves not to say much publicly, Hollingsworth said.

“(Gearhart’s family is) dealing with a devastating loss, and our hearts are devastated for them,” she said. “And it’s a devastating loss for the neighborhood, too.

“The public always wants to know things, but ... the family and friends and the neighbors ... they need to deal with their loss.”

One of Hartway’s neighbors, Meridian Deputy Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea, volunteered as a spokesman for that family.

“The guy loved his country. He loved the military,” said Basterrechea, who has known Hartway since he was a student at Gooding High School and Hartway was at Glenns Ferry High. They competed in wrestling and other sports.

Basterrechea’s young son was ill on Tuesday, and Hartway said he would drop by and check on him before he left for work.

“He was someone people looked up to. He would do things like that without anyone asking,” Basterrechea said. “My boy called him ‘Captain America.’ “

Hartway spent a combined 20 years in the U.S. Army and the National Guard, and flew numerous combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hartway, his wife Jennifer and their two children returned to Idaho about four years ago, after he left the Army, Basterrechea said.

“He was always helping out soldiers and other people with the military,” Basterrechea said. “And he was always supportive of his family and making sure they had everything they needed.”

Apache crash history

Fellow Guardsmen who were close to Hartway and Gearhart were not ready Friday to talk about their friends, Guard spokesman Col. Tim Marsano said.

The fatal crash of the Apache hit the Gowen Field community hard, he said. It was “the first helicopter crash we’ve had since an OH-58 helicopter crashed in Eastern Idaho during flood relief efforts in 1997,” he said. “That crash killed two Guardsmen and seriously injured another.”

Marsano said the most recent crash of an Idaho National Guard aircraft came in 2000, when an A-10 went down in the Treasure Valley. The A-10 is a one-seat plane; the pilot was killed.

Gowen Field has been home to an Apache helicopter mission since 1993.

There have been 30 crashes of U.S. Apaches worldwide since 2000, according to Armyaircrews.com, a website that compiles names of people killed while serving aboard military aircraft. Nearly half of those, 14, took place in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another 10 happened in the United States.Prior to Thursday night’s crash, the most recent Apache incident had taken place on April 9, 2013, in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. Two pilots were killed after a suspected material failure caused a loss of control of the aircraft.

What happened this time?

About 7 p.m. Thursday, the Boeing AH-64 Apache piloted by Hartway and Gearhart crashed in a field south of Gowen Field and the Boise Airport, near the intersection of Pleasant Valley Road and Hollilynn Drive. An emergency signal from the helicopter alerted Gowen Field, and a Black Hawk helicopter searched the area and located the downed Apache, Marsano said.

The crash was reported to Ada County dispatchers by about 7:50 p.m.

Both pilots were pronounced dead at the scene by the Ada County coroner.

The helicopter was one of 16 Apaches based at Gowen Field. Hartway and Gearhart were assigned to the 1-183rd Attack Reconnaissance Battalion there.

National Guard and U.S. Army investigators are working to determine what happened and why, Marsano said. The spokesman said he wasn’t sure when more information would be available.

“The investigation is going to take as long as it’s going to take,” he said.

Idaho politicians respond

Public officials from all levels of Idaho politics shared their condolences Friday for the families of Gearhart and Hartway.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these brave men, along with their fellow soldiers of the Idaho National Guard,” Boise Mayor David Bieter said. “I ask our community to remember and honor these men as we all celebrate Veterans Day over the next several days.”

Gov. Butch Otter said, “This tragedy reminds us of the enormous sacrifice and great risk involved in military service — whether here at home preparing to go into harm’s way or on the battle lines of freedom. I ask all Idahoans to join me in honoring these courageous citizen soldiers, along with all those who have gone before them in defense of the liberties we hold so dear.”

U.S. Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo issued similar statements, as did U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador.

This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 9:51 AM.